


Walking away from the aisle

by CandyCane1287



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Caroline Forbes Goes to New Orleans, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hayley is nice, Villains, hope is best friends with the twins, klaroline endgame, she loves stefan, stefan sacrifices himself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29686785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandyCane1287/pseuds/CandyCane1287
Summary: Caroline's wedding day. She was about to marry the love of her life. It's all going well. Until it's not. Villains come back. She has to leave Mystic Falls with her daughters.BTW set in early TO S4 and TVD S8X15
Relationships: Caroline Forbes & Hayley Marshall, Caroline Forbes & Rebekah Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall/Elijah Mikaelson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	1. What could go wrong?

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy this story guys! I've been thinking about writing this for a while now. Leave kudos if you appreciate it :)

FInally. The day she's been waiting all her life for. Her June wedding with the love of her life. What could possibly go wrong? Knowing her luck, and the luck of the Mystic Falls gang, something would most likely happen and her nerves were amplified, more than they would be for a regular wedding. Not only was it pre-marriage wedding jitters, but their plan to lure Katherine had to succeed. After all, it seemed as if that's mostly what Damon and Stefan cared about. It was all linked back to Elena and Caroline had learned to accept that. It would always come down to Elena for Stefan, had it been a choice between herself and her other best friend. However, she knew that Stefan loved her romantically and that's all that she needed. Nothing more and nothing less.  
Bonnie had turned up to her room minutes before she was due to walk down the steps and walk down the aisle to reunite with her future human husband. It would be a lie to say that Caroline had been expecting her best friend to turn up, what with her husband to be murdering Enzo, the love of Bonnie's life. So the moment that her witch best friend came into the room and said she would be there for her, it made Caroline's day and caused her eyes to produce tears. The twins smiled as they watched their mother embrace her best friend.   
"Mommy are you ready?" Taking Bonnie's hand in hers, Caroline answered.  
"Now I'm ready. My best friend's here."

Now she was standing at the top of the steps, bouquet in hand. Her eyes glanced over at her future husband, smiling back at her. Pushing the nerves aside, she walked down the flight of narrow steps, grinning and excited. So what if Katherine was here? So what if this was a trap for that cunning villain? This was her June wedding. Everything was decorated to her style and absolutely nothing would stop her from walking down that aisle. The way in which Stefan looked at her had her falling in love with him all over again. As everyone stood up to watch her reunite with her husband-to-be, Caroline felt an overwhelming sense of joy consume her. Her gorgeous twins threw the flowers in front of her and her best friend was there and her best friend and partner, Stefan Salvatore. When she reached the slightly elevated platform at the end of the aisle, Caroline handed over the flowers to Bonnie and Stefan extended his arm out, his hand for her to take.  
As they faced each other, Stefan's face changed into a frown, noticing the all too familiar necklace.  
"Where did you get that necklace?"  
"You gave it to me." Caroline's soft expression changed into a doubtful and worried one as Stefan shook his head slightly.  
"No, I didn't. That's Katherine's."  
"Seems she accepted our invitation," Damon added subtly. As Caroline fiddled with the necklace, Stefan persuaded her to keep it on as Damon cleared his voice and started speaking.  
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two epic lovebirds in official matrimony." Suddenly he caught sight of villains. Old, ancient and cruel villains they had previously defeated.

Sybil, her sister, Cade, Silas, Julian the heretic and...Rayna Cruz. This was obviously Katherine's doing. Instead of making an obvious scene, Damon silently whispered to both of them.  
"Caroline, make a scene and leave Stefan. Do not come back." She glanced at her husband with a look of fear in her eyes, her heat already being shattered into pieces. Of course, something had to go wrong.   
"Go, Caroline. She nodded and let a stray tear fall out before starting her show. Slowly but surely, Caroline let go of his hands reluctantly and looked away, accidentally noticing the revived villains, scattered around. Everything started to make sense. Quickly glancing back, Damon nodded assuringly as to answer her question of whether Bonnie and her kids escaped.   
"Stefan, I can't marry you. I'm sorry." The crowd gasped and the villains played along. Luckily Sybil didn't meet Caroline's accidental glance. That was an advantage.  
"God, you never put me first. It was all about Elena and you left me, made me feel insecure and you didn't tell me things. That's not the kind of relationship I want. I'm sorry." With that she lifted her dress and vamp sped away, pausing at the steps.  
"I love him, Damon. Always and forever," she whispered.  
"I know, he loves you too. He always will. Now go, get out of here for him, Caroline. Take your girls and get the hell out." Luckily only she could hear it due to vamp hearing but she left, unwillingly. As she took her car, Caroline dialed Bonnie.  
"Bonnie, it's me. Where are you?" Voicemail. She sighed out of frustration and scrolled through her contacts.  
There was no time to wallow in her sadness about her husband now. Ultimately, she knew Stefan was going to die as a sacrifice. For her, for Elena, for Damon. Calling Alaric, her last hope, Caroline felt nervous. Then he picked up, answering her many questions.  
"They're here in the armory with me. Take them and get the hell out of here. I'm going to help Damon and Stefan." Then he hung up on her abruptly.

Within a few minutes, Caroline entered the armory. Eyes scanning around the room, she spotted Lizzie and Josie sitting on a hidden sofa patiently, belongings next to them.   
"Hey girls," she whispered as she crouched down to hug them.  
"Mommy, Daddy said he went already and that he'll text you," said a bubbly Josie. Caroline smiled to herself and glanced at them. Oh to be that age, oblivious to the supernatural, both her parents still together.   
"Girls, do you know where Bonnie is?" The twins shook their heads fiercely, slight frowns on their faces. It was a stupid question really. Of course Bonnie would sacrifice her life for her. Life wasn't fair. But she had to hold it together. For them. She couldn't break down just yet. They were all she had.  
"Ok girls, listen closely. We're going to leave Mystic Falls and go on holiday. Where should we go?"  
"Daddy said New Orleans!" Lizzie squealed excitedly. The mother of the two sighed, knowing him all too well. In all honesty, she really didn't want to bother Klaus. The last time she did, he wasn't even there, but anyway it was worth a shot. Maybe he was back from wherever he was hiding. No, he definitely was. He had to be if he rescued Stefan a year and a bit ago. But she didn't really know. Caroline was unsure about everything at the moment; everything kept changing. She had no constant besides her girls.  
"I'm going to call two friends now to let them know we're coming, ok?" Her twins nodded enthusiastically.   
"But first, let's go. I'll take your suitcases, but I want you both to hold onto me." As she turned around, Sybil stood in front of her, almost making her jump out of her skin. Almost.  
"Aww, so sweet Caroline."  
"Sybil," she greeted formally," what're you doing here?" The siren chuckled, eyes skimming over the suitcases beside Caroline and the kids before looking at the blonde runaway bride.  
"Just wanted to see what you're up to now that, you know, you've left your dead ex-fiancé." Sybil had achieved the intended effect as a flicker of pain flashed across Caroline's eyes and yet, she recovered fairly quickly.  
" We're going on a long holiday, isn't that right girls?" She squeezed their hands and they nodded happily. Sybil flashed them a genuine smile which transformed into an evil smirk when she looked at Caroline.  
"You better run Caroline. If you ever come back, you know what will happen. Go." The blonde took the suitcases and her girls gripped Caroline's dress before they flashed away.

Now in the car at sunset on the motorway, Caroline encouraged the girls to sleep as she dialed Rebekah's number. If anything, Rebekah would be more reliable than Klaus. So she called, anxiously waiting for a most likely harsh bitchy Rebekah-like response on the other end of the phone. It was only at the moment Caroline was about to hang up when she answered.  
"What do you want Caroline?" She spat out bitterly, "I really do not have the time to deal with your-"  
"I'm coming to New Orleans again. You might want to tell him. It's important otherwise I would have called him." It seemed that her kids asking their mom a question softened Rebekah up as she replied kindly.  
"Of course, Caroline. But don't go to New Orleans. Come to the address I'm about to send you. Long story."  
"Thanks, Rebekah. I really...um...this wasn't supposed to happen." Her voice started to break slightly but Caroline, as tough as she was, held it together. This didn't go unnoticed by the other blonde.  
"Caroline, what the hell happened?"  
"A lot." She sniffled as she changed the destination to the one Rebekah gave her. Meanwhile, Caroline decided to ask about Hayley.  
"So, how's Hayley, and was it Hope?"  
"Yes. Hayley is coping well, now part of the family, and Hope is the best niece I could have ever asked for." Usually, Rebekah would avoid small talk, but she could sense Caroline went through something terrible today and begrudgingly chose to keep the conversation going.  
"You know, Klaus had only met her recently due to unforeseen circumstances and they already get along quite well."   
"Who would have thought that the big bad original hybrid would have gone soft?" Caroline chuckled, drying away tears with one hand.  
"I can assure you that he still has his moments." The girls continued chatting until the moment Caroline pulled up to a house in the middle of nowhere.  
"Girls, wake up. We're here."


	2. We've arrived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus sees her. What goes from there...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Kudos if you like :)

She had just stopped the car. Lights were on. Before getting out, she turned to face her girls, unwilling to disrupt their peaceful sleeping state. Caroline sighed to herself and texted Rebekah, saying that they were outside.  
"Girls, we're here. Wake up." Lizzie and Josie gently stirred awake, one twin yawning loudly as the other rubbed her own heavy eyes. The door to the house opened, light pouring out from inside. She could sense two figures standing out, looking at her and Caroline knew who they were. How was she going to explain everything tonight, she didn't quite know.  
Even from outside the car, with her back turned towards them, she could feel two sets of heavy gazes on her and her dirt-stained wedding dress and she sighed to herself.  
The little girls took Caroline's hands and she crouched down to look at them, hands on their shoulders.  
"Girls, do you remember that we went to see Mommy's friend a year ago and he wasn't there?" They nodded.  
"Well he's back from holiday and we're going to stay with him for a bit." The girls frowned, millions of questions invading their minds.  
"But Mommy, what about Stefan?" Lizzie asked, worried for her mom. Caroline sighed and looked down at the floor briefly, willing herself not to cry. God, they were so young. In fact, they were way too young for this.  
"I don't know Lizzie." She cleared her throat and then resumed speaking." But what I do know is that mommy is very tired and you guys must be too." She gave them a small smile before standing up, with Lizzie and Josie gripping her hands tightly.

In a matter of seconds, Klaus and Rebekah flashed in front of them. This was going to be just a bit awkward, Caroline thought. How would she explain that she was meant to get married to Stefan, aka Klaus's old ripper buddy? The twins shyly hid behind Caroline slightly, probably nervous like she was at that moment.  
"Caroline, what happened?" Rebekah asked while looking at the girls as Klaus was looking at her, scanning her for injuries.  
"Tomorrow. I'll explain everything tomorrow. I'm too tired and hungry. I have just driven 14 hours with no break and no food and I couldn't stop until we were safe."  
"Safe from what, love?" Klaus questioned, a light frown now present on his face.  
"And to make matters worse, everyone left me." A stray tear ran down her cheek but she wiped it away quickly.  
"So anyway, is it ok if we stay with you? If not that's-"  
"Of course you can, love. You are always welcome here." Caroline smiled and it was genuine. She could finally stop and absorb all of what happened. Klaus and Rebekah welcomed Caroline and the twins inside into the warmth of the house, but she paused at the entrance, aware the other Mikaelsons, Hope, and Hayley were present. While Rebekah walked off to join them, Klaus stayed with them.  
"Thank you." He nodded slightly and lead them up to a room allocated for the twins, one that was next to Hope's. Their suitcases and toys were already there, thanks to Rebekah.  
"Lizzie, Josie, you guys are going to stay here and mommy will be closeby. Is that ok?" They nodded and allowed Caroline to help them get ready for bed, Klaus lingering by the doorway. Once the lights were off, she managed to walk to the doorway, feeling very light-headed.  
"Caroline, are you ok?"  
"Yes- I just need..." she didn't get to finish her sentence as she collapsed instantly, Klaus catching her thanks to his quick hybrid reflexes and carrying her in his arms in bridal style which was ironic as she was still in her heavy dress.  
"It's ok, I've got you love." 

-

Caroline woke up relatively early, reality biting back at her. Stefan, Bonnie, Damon, Alaric. Probably all gone by now. Yet again, she had no time to dwell on it as she needed to get to the twins. It was at this point she noticed that she was in Rebekah's clothes; it was most likely that Klaus helped her change because she remembered collapsing. Her sharp senses picked up the scent of blood next to her and there were two blood bags for her, which she inhaled rapidly before changing into her own clothes and couldn't help but stare at her engagement ring sadly. At first, she went to check the twins' room to find their beds empty and messy; she would talk to them about that! Either way, she knew that they were downstairs and she would have to face the hoard of questions everyone had for her. Slowly making a move for the steps, Caroline tried to label the voices with the people. She could clearly make out Klaus's, Rebekah's and also Hayley's. God, Caroline remembered the last and very unpleasant interaction they had, where Hayley snapped her neck easily. Thankfully, she toughened up since, but rumour had it that the brunette was a hybrid due to having Hope. Then there was Kol's voice, Elijah's too and Hope was also present, busy chatting away to her daughters and giggling. Taking a deep breath, Caroline went downstairs, headed for the living room.

Upon her entrance, everyone looked up at her and it was slightly intimidating. Luckily her daughters radiated their positive energy and ran up to hug her excitedly and she crouched down, embracing their hug.  
"Hi mommy!"  
"Hey girls, how did you sleep?" They replied excitedly and gestured to their new friend Hope. Looking at the young girl, she could draw out some similarities in appearance between Hope and her parents. Of course, Caroline greeted her politely too, but she was still left to address the majority of the room.  
"Hello, love? How are you feeling?" Klaus came towards her.  
"I'm fine." They both exchanged a look, so many unspoken words said, but the blonde turned away to greet everyone politely, even Hayley, who smiled back at Caroline.  
"Caroline, would you mind explaining what happened yesterday?" Klaus questioned.This was it. Truth time.  
"And why were you wearing a wedding dress?" Rebekah remarked, causing everyone to glance at her shiny ring. Klaus's eyes narrowed slightly but softened again when he noticed tears in Caroline's eyes. Luckily Freya offered to take the kids to another room, leaving the rest of them free to talk.

Caroline warily accepted a coffee that Hayley made but the smile and roll of Hayley's eyes assured her that it was not poisoned. With that, Caroline sat on the armchair and began to tell her story.  
"I was meant to get married yesterday, to Stefan, but suddenly, every villain we killed reappeared because of Katherine." Elijah's eyes perked up at the mention of his old lover's name and it didn't go unnoticed by his current lover, Hayley. Klaus tensed at the knowledge that she was supposed to be married to Stefan, his ripper frien instead of himself.  
"Like the amazing, kind person he was, he sacrificed his life for me at the wedding. I left and I didn't look back. Bonnie went, Alaric went to fight them and I..." she took a deep breath.  
"I think they died." Her voice broke and she lost control of her tears. Briefly. She regained herself and continued with a shaky and quiet voice.  
"I've lost everyone and I can't lose my girls." She sniffed and looked away but Klaus cupped her cheek and got her to look at him.  
"Nothing will happen to your daughters, Caroline. I will ensure it." Everyone knew Klaus made good on his threats and promises. That was a given and Caroline knew that.  
Despite him not being able to have her just yet, he would still care for her, protect her and her children, love her. Over the years that had passed since their last encounter, he had never forgotten about her. Ever since his phone call with her and her crying baby, not that anyone would ever know, he often thought of her. Back to present, the gorgeous blonde was here, finally, just not for the reason he thought.

The rest of the morning was spent chatting lightly, and it was very obvious to Caroline that the family were treading lightly around her, but she didn't mind. In fact, she just wanted to bury herself in a hole and cry it all out. But she couldn't because that feeling was replaced with a void of emptiness deep in her now. So there she was, sitting on the porch and watching her children play with Hope in the garden. As if it couldn't get any worse, her phone started to ring and she jumped, seeing Damon's name flash across her screen. Instantly picking up, she started with a shaky greeting.  
"Hello? Damon?" There was some static before he answered.  
"Caroline. They're all gone. Stefan, Bonnie and Alaric. They died." There was a lingering silence for a few minutes between the two on the phone, a quiet funeral for their est friend and husband to be for her and brother for Damon. Suddenly, Caroline chose to ask a subtle question.  
"How?" she whispered into the phone.  
"Hellfire. It wiped them all out. Sybil, Cade, Rayna..." Damon trailed off.  
"Is Elena awake?' Caroline tried, curious and hopeful.  
"I'm going to her now. Where did you go?" Caroline sighed and mumbled her response.  
"So you jumped straight to the Original Hyrid, smart," Damon replied, surprisingly genuine and not judgemental.  
"I can't lose my girls Damon, they're all I have." He hummed in response as he pulled up to Elena's location.  
"Ok, blondie, I've got to go and see if there's... you know. But stay in touch."  
'I will. Let me know if she's alive." With that he hung up on her and she resumed staring at the joy-filled children.

-

She only got away with avoiding them until dinner. For her, when they all sat down and made light conversation, she felt as if the room suffocated her. However, she knew her mourning time for her friends had to end soon in order for her to be there for her children properly and be in the right state of mind if she was going to find them a home somewhere and enroll them in a school. Mystic Falls was no longer an option for her and neither was staying with the Mikaelsons. It felt too intruding and besides, even if she had been there for one day, she needed to find somewhere fresh, away from everything and everyone. With that, Caroline attempted to engage in light conversation with the others, about anything but herself and her life before. It was still raw to talk about and luckily everyone knew that, besides Kol who'd make the odd remark here and there. Another witch who Caroline hadn't met, besides Davina, was also sitting at the table and Klaus introduced her as Freya, their oldest sibling and sister. Caroline couldn't help but think about how many siblings Klaus had. Finn, Elijah, Freya, Kol and Rebekah. It was fun to see them debate and lightly fight with each other, Elijah being the noble brother of course and sometimes she would smile out of amusement.

At the end of the pleasant evening, she took her girls up to their room, helping them get dressed into their pyjamas. Ideally, this wasn't the time to talk about the future, but she could sense the girls beginning to get attached to Hope and even some of the family members.  
"Girls, mommy wants to tell you something very important." She sat in the middle of the queen sized bed, each ar cuddling one twin. Caroline sighed before starting again.  
"I'm trying to find a new home for us, somewhere else. What do you girls think of that?" She smiled and remained calm, despite the fact that there was now a visible from on Lizzie's face.  
"But mommy, I want to stay! I want to play with Hope," whined Josie as she looked up to see her mom's face, pleading. Unbeknownst to Caroline, Klaus stopped right outside her room, originally intending to check on Hope, but he couldn't help but listen in.  
"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I know you girls are very close, but it's not nice to spend too much time at mommy's friend."  
"Ok mommy." Lizzie gave in, deflatedly. Not long after, she squealed excitedly. "Where are we going mommy?"  
"Yeah," Josie chimed in. The girls looked at their mom excitedly and Caroline laughed for the first time in a few days.  
"That's up to you. We could stay here in America: Chicago, New York, LA. Or," she took a breath," we could go to France, Italy, Spain or even England!" The girls were now excited, full of energy and hugging their mom tightly before chatting to each other secretly, even though Caroline could hear them.  
"We wanna go to France!" Lizzie said, rather loudly.  
"Settle down girls, mommy will make everything happen. You two need to sleep now." Josie yawned and Lizzie placed her head on Caroline's shoulder, all of them eventually falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tysm for reading! Let me know if you like it :) Also, in a few more chapters, Camille will be mentioned and also, some of the Original plot will be followed. if you want, comment what you think will happen next too!


	3. Starting to move on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KC talk about France and spend time together, Caroline kinda gets closer to the family/Hayley and she has a cute twins moment at the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Caroline moving on from Stefan would be slow since they were in love and so the KC relationship will be relatively slow. It will be an angst build up I promise💖 Anyways enjoy and kudos if you like it☺️

When Klaus saw Caroline pull up to his house with the twins, he thought she might stay with him for good, or well, for at least for a year or two. Granted, the circumstances differed from his expectations for if she should have ever chosen to take him up on his offer, but it still didn’t mean it hurt any less. Not that it was likely to happen anyway, but Klaus thought that if she would end up travelling, he would be by her side. However, it was clear, now more than ever, that she didn’t have any intention of sticking around. Frankly, it was understandable that her feelings for him were not present, but at least she trusted him. Trusting him was a start. Klaus could work with that. Even if it meant allowing her, watching her go to France, he would find the best places for her to go to, give her the best protection. Regardless, the point is that Klaus would help Caroline, whatever she decided to do. Unlike the men in Caroline’s life, he would respect her and her decisions.

Back to present, he was drinking his fine bourbon in the morning, agitated at life. After arguing with Hayley about taking Hope out to the bayou in general , what with Marcel and Vincent exiling him and his family from the city and the bayou being quite close, he eventually gave up and decided to send hidden hybrid protection to follow them whenever they were going. Contrary to popular belief, his paranoia was rational and his safety measures were justified. As he drowned his sorrows and problems through drinking, Caroline came down with both twins, smiling when really, all she wanted to do was be miserable. His mood did lighten up when he heard her voice, a warmth that filled his heart. That warmth was one that only herself and Hope could create and also Camille. Camille.This was the first time he had thought of her in a while, truth be told. He missed her. Ever since she died, everything spiralled downwards for the worse.

The approaching footsteps seemed to pull him out of his thoughts and he returned to being a bit grumpy, facial expression neutral. As observant as Caroline is, she had to make a remark. He was brooding, like her ex fiancé used to do.  
“Not that I’d expect anything different, but why are you so moody today?” Her chirpy, teasing voice relaxed him slightly, shoulders dropping.  
“Nothing of your concern, love.” He tried to mean it politely, but it came out as him being angry and irritated. Caroline simply rolled her eyes and pressed on anyway.  
“You can sulk all you want, but don’t take it out on me. You know, all I want to do is scream at everyone and cry and hide, but I can’t do that. Yes, I lost everything, but I still have my girls. So whatever it is on your mind, it can wait and go spend time with your daughter.” She always left Klaus bewildered and speechless: at the Mikaelson ball, where he showed her his art or when she came to helped him with Silas and even now. He also admired how she picked herself up so quickly, even though her world fell apart. However he had no time to dwell on the many things he loved about the blonde standing in front him as she ushered him to go and watch the girls play outside with her.

The two sat on the porch, watching their girls in silence. Sometimes, Klaus would steal a glance at Caroline and how happy she seemed around her twins and she caught him glancing at her, something deep in his eyes, perhaps longing or admiration. Either way, Caroline didn’t question him about it. Currently, it was around midday and the three were running around in the garden, obeying Caroline’s rule of staying close. Even though Klaus had the whole place secured tightly, he understood where Caroline was coming from. She had lost everyone and couldn’t afford to lose them as well. Anyway, all he knew was that he would try and protect her, eventually try and break through the wall she had created between her and romance, not letting people in. He was like that, once, too. Since Aurora up until he met the gorgeous mother sitting in front of him. Her occasional smiles and chuckles made his day and they spent a few hours like that, sitting in peace and calamity among everything else, making small talk.

Unfortunately, later on, Klaus had to convene with his siblings and got up to leave when Caroline unexpectedly gripped his hand, looking at him with some kind of vulnerability as she said “stay.” Klaus had managed to shift things around and sat with her, fully aware that sitting with her gave her peace, comfort. It helped her see that everything was ok. Truth be told, what angered Klaus previously was now irrelevant and he thought about things rationally. As they were both calm , he decided to bring up to topic of France as it lingered in his mind all day, wondering how much time he’d have with her now, savouring every moment he could.  
“I heard that you’re considering going to France. If so, I know lovely places for you to go.”  
“Klaus,” she began softly, looking at him kindly in the eyes.  
“If you’ll allow me to, I have excellent recommendations for you. Paris has always been one of my favourite cities, although I do admit, over the thousand years in which I have lived, Nice and Monaco have grown on me.” She laughed slightly and Klaus smiled, a reminder of their date at the Mystic Falls pageant.  
“You’d really be ok with me going?”  
“Of course, love. As I said, my offer stands for eternity. Should you choose to take me up on it, you are welcome to return.” Her smile widened and Klaus couldn’t believe how sincere she was in that moment.  
“Thank you.” She glanced at him appreciatively. No one ever did that. No one had ever thanked him for anything. Klaus nodded his head slightly and only then did Caroline ask the main question Klaus was expecting.  
“Why aren’t you in New Orleans, the city full of music, food, art and culture?”  
-  
He chose to explain it all to her. Everything that had happened in the past couple of the years, Marcel and all of that nonsense. For someone as young as Caroline, he didn’t expect her to understand the predicament in which the Mikaelsons had found themselves in, but she accepted it all gracefully, no judgement or anything in her voice. Of course, there had been the odd question from the blonde here and there, but otherwise, everything was clear to her. That explained why Klaus hadn’t been seen for some time when she showed up to New Orleans. He was captured and held captive in New Orleans. As they sat on the table, drinks already there, she felt as if it was fair to tell him.  
“Years ago, when the girls were really little, I was in trouble. I was scared; I just, I put the girls in the car and I drove. And I ended up in New Orleans , looking for you. You weren’t there... but that explains it.” She briefly saw sadness flash in his eyes before he looked intrigued.  
“I’m truly sorry I couldn’t be there for you. It would have been my pleasure to help you from whatever trouble-“  
“Rayna Cruz. It was her. Also, I never thanked you for helping Stefan. It really did mean a lot to me.” She placed her hand on top of his, an unexpected action to both herself and Klaus. It only lasted for a few seconds, the sweet gesture with the heated gaze as it was too good to be true. Kol interrupted them, beckoning them to the dining room, halting Klaus when Caroline had gone.  
“Did I interrupt you two lovebirds?” He teased with a smirk that Klaus wanted to remove. Instead, he rolled his eyes and moved past.

At dinner, Caroline realised that she became more extrovert, more herself. It seemed that sitting outside for few hours watching her kids in peace helped calm her. Tonight, she found herself sitting close to Klaus, who was at the head of the table, and next to Hayley. In spite of their past, they both conversed with each other easily, joking about events in the past, the events of Mystic Falls. Which led her on to her next piece of information to share.  
“Klaus, I thought you should know that Tyler’s dead.” Silence filled the room and everyone was shocked. The girls continued giggling and smiling, oblivious to Caroline’s words, which she was thankful for.  
“Really? He’s actually dead?” Hayley questioned with a look of disbelief and shock on her face. Rebekah and Kol smirked, making snide remarks as Elijah and weirdly, Klaus, remained neutral. Everyone was now shocked at Klaus’s reaction.  
“Aren’t you going to say something?” Rebekah chimed in, sounding amused.  
“You’d think Klaus would gloat and dance on his grave,” Caroline said, half bitterly and half joking, causing Hayley and the siblings to laugh. The stares seemed to get to Klaus as he eventually responded, elbows on table and hands clasped together.  
“It is a shame I couldn’t kill him personally and death was too good for him, but, good riddance.” He smirked, and everyone did too, but Caroline thought it ridiculous. Kol teased Caroline, asking why she wasn’t amused.  
“He was a friend. I’m not going to laugh at him being dead.” Her voice was bitter. Not just about that, they all knew. Death was still too sore a topic for her.  
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to put all the girls to bed. Is that ok with you, Hayley?” The brunette nodded kindly, understanding Caroline needed to get out. After she beckoned the girls to go upstairs with her, the dinner table briefly fell silent before merging to talk about plans for New Orleans.

After she made sure Hope was asleep, Caroline entered the room in which her twins were sleeping in; they had a bit too much energy and were not listening to their mom’s instruction to fall asleep.  
“Girls, what are you doing awake?”  
“Are we still going to France, mommy?” Josie asked eagerly. The blonde sighed and sat on the edge of the queen sized bed, looking at both her girls with soft eyes.  
“Yep, we are. I chose Paris. It’s a beautiful city girls.” They got excited too quickly and as Caroline began to regret answering the question, the twins ended up jumping on the bed and tickling their mom, making her laugh properly. Their family moment lasted for, all in all, 10 minutes and when they eventually recovered from their giggles and fun, Caroline told the girls a story until the end, and they had managed to fall asleep, thankfully. Funnily enough, she stayed in their room, but sat on the small sofa by the window, gazing out at the stars. She whispered her thoughts, as if talking to her dead ex-fiancé.  
“Stefan, I’m so sorry...for everything. I wish you could be here with me and we would have had our June wedding, like I wanted it.” She chuckled and sniffled at the same time.  
“ I will love you forever. But I need to move on, for the girls, and for me. So we’re going to Paris. I booked our tickets and we’re staying in a beautiful hotel.” She smiled to herself before falling asleep, unaware of the strong arms that carried her back to her room later on.


	4. Plans get cancelled sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the plans are set for Caroline and her kids to go to France. But enemies discover she’s associated with the Mikaelsons, in particular, Klaus Mikaelson. Things get kinda messy.  
> Not Davina friendly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy😊 kudos if you like🥰

She woke up slowly, eventually realising it was Klaus that brought her here. Remembering the events of last night, Caroline sighed and got up reluctantly. So much for a clean slate. Anyway, Paris was going to be set in motion and they’d be leaving in 3 days, if Caroline could have her way, which was most likely realistic. Walking up to her closet, she chose a lovely white sundress and applied some makeup before heading down. Healing. It was a slow process, but it was happening, and she was happy. It was hard, especially if you were mourning the death of two people, the two people closest to you. She was familiar with the process of grief all too well, what with Bonnie previously dying, Tyler dying, her own mother. But she picked herself her back up. Today, she would do just that.  
Taking her computer down with her, Caroline left her room to check on the twins. They were still fast asleep, so she chose to join the others for breakfast. 

Currently, it was only Hayley, Freya and Rebekah on the table, eating breakfast and barely chatting to each other, no doubt waiting for their brothers to arrive, or in Hayley’s case, the father of her child and her kind of boyfriend or lover.  
“Morning,” Caroline smiled and Freya and Hayley reciprocated it.  
“Why are you so happy today? I thought you’re supposed to be in mourning,” Rebekah said monotonously. Caroline rolled her eyes and helped herself to the assortment of fruits and breads on the table.  
“Yeah, well, I have to move on. For my girls and for me. Stefan would get that.” Hayley nodded.  
“For my brother?” Rebekah smirked while Caroline tensed.  
“No. I’m not getting romantically involved with anyone for the next year. I can’t lose someone I love again.” Silence invaded the room, crisp bitter air replacing the warmth. Having noticed this, Hayley decided to break the newly found tension.  
“I only met Stefan once. We were in the trunk, in the boot of a car. But he showed me his Lock Screen picture, which was of you. He really loved you and he was proud.” The blonde smiled in gratitude, appreciating what Hayley said.  
“Thanks, Hayley.” A brief silence filled the room before she resumed,” Anyway, I need to book the hotel for France. I’m leaving in a few days.”  
“Where in France?” Freya questioned.  
“Paris.”  
“Ah, the city of love,” Rebekah replied as the other blonde rolled her eyes. 

After an hour passed, Caroline had booked everything. Plane tickets, hotels and even some fun activities. The twins were now downstairs and Hayley had taken Hope to the bayou to visit Mary. The brothers had just returned from whatever hunt or mysterious activity they were doing: Elijah tucking his blood stained napkin in his suit pocket as Klaus huffed angrily.  
“New Orleans is ours, brother, it doesn’t belong to Marcel. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t torn his heart out from his chest.”  
“Niklaus, I will not repeat myself. We will take it back when the time is right.” The hybrid turned to look at his brother by the stairs.  
“Oh really? When is that supposed to be then?”  
“Oh Nik, still as impatient as ever,” Kol remarked, following them in.  
“Would you all stop bickering?” Rebekah huffed, with a temper that was extremely similar to a Klaus.  
“Oh you know them, Bekah,” Freya remarked, rolling her eyes at them as if to say ‘really?this again?’ Caroline kept quiet and ignored the childish conversation that arose between the Mikaelson family. 

Their childish conversation actually dragged out for half an hour, turning into a vicious argument about the same matter. In fact, it even split into two at some point. Firstly, it was Kol screaming and Elijah, and then Rebekah and Klaus. Among the shouting, she glanced at an apologetic Freya, who looked towards Caroline and shrugged as if to say ‘ I’m sorry for my chaotic family.’ At one point, it became so loud that the twins covered their ears and whined about it to their mom, who just had enough. They asked for her having to interfere. She would not apologise for it. Nope. So then, she told the girls to watch some tv before confidently walking to the kitchen, opening the previously shut door to reveal smashed objects, due to Kol or/and Klaus she thought. Elijah had Kol pinned to a wall while Klaus and Rebekah yelled. Chaos. God this family was so dysfunctional. Caroline couldn’t believe that even now, they’d keep their promise of Always and Forever. Upon her entry, she slammed the door shut loud enough for them to pause what they were doing and stare at her.  
“Seriously?” All of them looked bewildered by someone else coming in. “What is wrong with you?!”  
“We’re dysfunctional, love. That’s us Mikaelsons for you.” Kol remarked, smirk returning to his face.  
“There are two little girls there too you know. I can tolerate you being idiotic but they are harmless and when they came to me, hands on ears, I had enough. So grow up and talk through your many issues. It’s tiring for me, the girls and Freya.” She managed to stop the pushing blush from filling her cheeks as she felt the gaze of all five siblings on her. Instead, Caroline met Klaus’s gaze and resumed speaking.  
“And you, stop with your dagger threats. It’s boring and besides, that’s not what family do. But then again,” she looked at all of them,” no family does this. Not even the Salvatores.” With that said, she left them speechless in the room as she walked out

Caroline sympathised with Freya and Hayley, knowing full well now what extremes of the family they had to deal with on a daily basis. Of course she’d seen some of the Mikaelson family feuds, but never ones as large scale as this. Oh well, that was their problem. Not hers. So she grabbed the girls and got them dressed to go out, ready to take them shopping when Klaus was in front of her in seconds, taking her aback.  
“Where do you think you’re going, love?” She rolled her eyes, not caring that he was enraged underneath the fake layer of calm he was showing due to her twins being there.  
“Not that you get a say, but I’m taking the girls shopping.” He growled slightly but she shot him a glare that forced Klaus to calm himself.  
“Well it would be rude of me not to ask if you’d like someone to accompany you?” She knew exactly what he meant. He wanted to ‘tag along’ and she wouldn’t let him. If he was playing a game, then so would she.  
“No, but thanks.” She turned on her heel and took the girls to her car, knowing full well he would remember those words from when he asked her to join him for a drink with Kol. It still didn’t stop him from following her to the car. Luckily the twins were inside the car, strapped in already and he managed to grip her hand gently, causing her to turn around.  
“Caroline, wait. Drink this.” He extended his now bleeding arm for her to drink from. She sighed and gave in, knowing full well that he would be paranoid if she didn’t.  
“Thanks.” As she was about to get in, she realised she didn’t even know any safe areas to go to. So without looking back at him, she smiled to herself and spoke.  
“You know, I just realised that I don’t know any good supermarkets around here, so if you wanted to come, I won’t stop you.” He grinned at her words, and got in the passenger seat instantly, paranoia at ease.

On the way to a nice local supermarket playing some light pop music, Caroline didn’t exactly expect conversation. Occasionally, she’d catch Klaus looking at her, but she wouldn’t say anything. Sometimes, she’d really be confused as to what he sees in her, you know, her being last choice and all. The way in which he looked at her made her appear as if she was a goddess to him, someone that he could never have. Not yet anyway. Maybe, in the future, in the distant future, she’d let him. Now and anytime soon was too early for her. And she was glad he understood that. She was grateful. As they sat in silence, listening to the radio, the girls giggled and laughed as they watched something on their mom’s phone.  
“They love Disney,” Caroline explained. When his brows sunk into a frown, she chuckled,” I’m sorry, but you’ve been alive for over a 1000 years and you haven’t even heard of Disney?”  
“ I wasn’t born into the modern era love, I can only just about use a a television. I manage just fine with my phone. As you can imagine, Hayley is the technician of the family.” Her bubbly laugh warmed his heart and even more so when he was the cause of her joy and amusement. The rest of the journey was spent talking and laughing and by the time they arrived , not many cars were there.

-

Davina Claire was on her way back from New Orleans, ready to see her boyfriend after playing double agent/spy for the Marcel. Truth be told, she really loathed the Mikaelsons and everything they symbolised. On the other hand she loved Kol, so really, it was a dilemma sneaking behind their back. She had already proved that she could win against Klaus anyway, but she wanted the family gone, like Vincent and Marcel. It was rather unlucky that she fell in love with one of the Mikaelsons, but she negotiated with a very reluctant Marcel to keep him out of harm’s way. Having not rested or eaten in the past few hours, Davina decided to stop by a small but local supermarket, not far from the Mikaelson’s but she wasn’t aware of that. Every time she met Kol, it had been in a restaurant or hotel or small bar, but she got the hint that they were hiding out close by and she informed an angry Marcel that they were hiding and well. That much said, he asked her to “scope out the competition” and dig out everything she could from her boyfriend or and advantaged they could use against Klaus and his family, kids excluded. Location about where they lived wasn’t important. Marcel had warned them to never go back and they’d listened.

So that left her in her current predicament. A tired Davina dragged her feet across the supermarket floor and looked for a snack and a refreshing drink or two. Unbothered by choice of snack, she continued on to find a water bottle with heavy eyes. She was so sleep deprived for someone still relatively young. As much as she enjoyed taking down enemies, the world of the supernatural was exhausting, physically and mentally and emotionally. While she was grateful that Marcel rescued her from the harvest, sometimes it was a pain helping him. While she was there, Davina thought of getting herself some other things and was about to move towards the counter but caught sight of a pretty blonde with two gorgeous children and ... Klaus. Immediately turning away she picked up an item and moved towards the basic clothing aisle where she picked up a hat and sunglasses. That’s leverage. The blonde. The question was, what was her name? Luckily she could hear the name part from Klaus’s lips. Caroline. She couldn’t help but steal a glance at the harmless kids who were excited to be out with their mom who, at a closer glance, was all in black and had an engagement ring. The witch gasped quietly, trying to dismiss the idea but maybe Klaus did propose to Caroline. A frown overtook her face as she thought about Camille. Anyway, she quickly paid for the stuff, unaware that one of the twins was looking at her curiously, and left for New Orleans this time, leaving a voice note for Kol to reschedule.

When Klaus entered the petite store after Caroline and her children, his eyes quickly scanned it, glancing around for anyone suspicious. There was a young teenager, an elderly couple and some other adults, but no one else from the supernatural. As if Caroline could read his thoughts, she smiled out of amusement.  
“Relax, no one’s out to get you here.”  
“With me, you never know love.”  
“You’ve made a lot of enemies, so it’s all your fault mister.” He chuckled and followed the blonde, watching her girls skip down the aisle and pick up some sweets.  
“Not too much sugar, Josie!” Caroline called out before sighing, knowing she’d cave in to their demands as always. They were too damn adorable to say no to. Her warning didn’t help as they came back with a trolley full of sweets and crisps and chocolates.  
“Girls, what did mommy tell you?” She eyed them, half teasing half serious.  
“We’re sorry mommy, but we love them all!” Lizzie exclaimed as Josie went to hug her mom.  
“You might have won me over this time, but we’re going healthy next time. Deal?” They nodded enthusiastically before taking both of Caroline’s hands, leaving Klaus to push the trolley.  
“You know, I’ve never seen you so...normal. Let alone in a supermarket,” Caroline stated, nudging her shoulder into his.  
“Yes, well, this is not nearly as bad as the time that Hayley and I were on the run from...”  
“Enemies,” Caroline said in unison with him.”Tell me more.”  
“She made me wear this awfully dreadful hat saying mother trucker.” He mentioned while she laughed.  
“I wish she would’ve taken a picture.” The two mused on as they picked necessities for the house. It felt good. For both of them.

-

After they got back, Lizzie nervously tugged at her mother’s loose overall, slight fear in her eyes. This didn’t go unnoticed by Klaus or Rebekah and so, when the blonde glanced at the sister with pleading eyes, Rebekah took over understandingly. Taking both twins’ hands, Caroline walked to the currently empty living room and suggested for the girls to sit on the sofa in front of her as she crouched down on eye level.  
“Girls, Lizzie, are you ok?” The little siphoned exchanged a worried glance and then looked back at their mom.  
“Mommy, we saw someone looking at us for a while,” Josie started.  
“I think she was a witch. I felt some magic,” Lizzie said, hopeful her mom had an explanation for all of this. Caroline smiled at her girls reassuringly.  
“Nothing for you two to worry about. Don’t worry girls. Here, let me put some Disney for you and if Hope’s home, I’ll tell her you two are here.” The girls then debated about the film they wanted to watch while Caroline asked Hope if she wanted to join. All three eventually agreed upon watching Sleeping Beauty and eventually settled.

Knowing full well that Klaus overheard their conversation, she shut the door and walked to the kitchen, helping Rebekah unpack everything.  
“Did you recognise that girl Klaus? The twins said it was a witch.”  
“I only know of one teenaged witch called Davina Claire. She’s dating my brother, supposedly on her way from scouting New Orleans, but Kol never left the house, meaning she went back to New Orleans.” By now, Elijah, Freya, Hayley and Kol were present, fully listening.  
“Hate to break it to you, Kol, but your little girlfriend is a traitor,” Rebekah stated plainly. The bourbon glass in his hand smashed, anger and hurt on his face.  
“She’s telling Marcel everything, including the fact that she saw you, Caroline.”  
“That means my girls and I are in danger. Because of you.” She turned to look at Klaus, shock and fear in her eyes when she realised she was no longer safe.  
“I shouldn’t have come here.” Klaus didn’t let that insult him and he moved in front of her swiftly, hands on her arms.  
“Hey, I would never let anything happen to you or your daughters.”  
“You can’t guarantee that Klaus. I’m sorry, but you can’t.” She shrugged away from his touch and averted her eyes. Freya, who had stayed quiet until now, responded.  
“You’re right, Caroline. But my brothers, my siblings, will protect anyone they love.”  
“Also, Marcel would never harm kids, that’s one of his rules.”  
“Yes, but what about me? I think it’s better if I go to France.” During the conversation, Hayley had gone and came back, holding a slip of paper.  
“Caroline, you might wanna stay here for a while.” Silence invaded the room as eyes glanced to the slip of paper Hayley had in her hand.  
Elijah took the slip, read it and handed it to Klaus , who just spoke a response.  
“Marcel knows about you Caroline. He knows.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
